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Old 11-10-2011, 12:30 PM   #1
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Question Slide and Battery

I have a 2012 23SS Roo. We took the battery out for winter storage and now want to do some mods. Do I need to put the battery back in to get the slide out? I will have it hooked to shore power.

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Old 11-10-2011, 01:03 PM   #2
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Can't say, I've never taken my battery out for storage.
I simply use my disconnect switch.
But I believe newer trailers don't need the battery connected.
If you try it, let us know if it works.
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Old 11-10-2011, 01:09 PM   #3
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I think Bikendan is right.

FWIW - I think I might have extended and retracted the slide with just shore power with no problem, but since I don't take my batteries out, I'm not sure why I would have done that. Maybe just playing around.

It used to be (and maybe still is) that people thought their converter needed the battery to regulate voltage. But, I don't recall reading that when I read the WFCO manual for the converter in my 233S.

I second the idea that you try it out and let us know.
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Old 11-10-2011, 01:28 PM   #4
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my sticker on my 2011 says must be hooked to shore power to move slides . but nothing about the battery as well .

In my opinion I wouldnt . the battery ACTS AS A BUFFER for voltage spikes . and high amp draws .
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Old 11-10-2011, 01:55 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by f1100turbo View Post

In my opinion I wouldnt . the battery ACTS AS A BUFFER for voltage spikes . and high amp draws .
That's the conventional wisdom.

I've always wondered, if this is true, though, wouldn't there also be a warning sticker somewhere on the converter or slideout?

When I got this latest trailer this spring there were stickers all over the place warning me about things, but not this issue.
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Old 11-10-2011, 02:58 PM   #6
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OK, just called the service department at RV Wholesalers and they said "no you do not need to have the battery connected to use the slide". I confirmed that with no battery hooked-up the converter (with shore power hook-up) will have no problems? He said "you will have no problems". Now understand I only confirmed this with my HTT the Roo 23SS.
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Old 11-10-2011, 09:08 PM   #7
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Quote:
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OK, just called the service department at RV Wholesalers and they said "no you do not need to have the battery connected to use the slide". I confirmed that with no battery hooked-up the converter (with shore power hook-up) will have no problems? He said "you will have no problems". Now understand I only confirmed this with my HTT the Roo 23SS.
If you have your battery out and you plug in to shore power make sure that the hot lead (to the battery) is not sitting on the frame of the trailer, if it is you will get a short!
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Old 11-10-2011, 10:29 PM   #8
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Well good to know just in case.


In a bind for some unforeseen reason id probably do it once but I'm still a little Leary.
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Old 11-10-2011, 11:17 PM   #9
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I had a battery short while camped, had to disconnect the battery entirely. It never occurred to me to wonder if I'd be able to get the slide in, and when it was time to leave, the slide went in on shore power no problem. That's on a Rockwood 3215ss.
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Old 11-11-2011, 07:38 AM   #10
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If the battery is available while on shore power and a large current demand is made on the system, the lion share of the current comes from the battery and not the converter. This is verified by the Trimetric battery monitor showing 22-25 amp draw from the batteries while moving a single slide. Moving the opposing slides at the same time pulls about 44 amps.

Without the battery in the system, the Trimetric does not work (it measures current flow in and out of the batteries and not the camper), but the slides will run from the converter. They say the unit in my camper is rated for 55 amps DC so it should be capable of doing both at the same time, but I don't feel like buying a new one just to find out..
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Old 11-11-2011, 08:03 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by f1100turbo View Post
my sticker on my 2011 says must be hooked to shore power to move slides .
So how could/do you camp somewhere without shore power? It would make it awful tough to boondock, if you need shore power just to move the slides.

BTW - When we were looking at TT's (to purchase) a few years ago, it was between Thanksgiving and end of year, so most units in the dealerships outside lots had already been winterized, with slides closed. In more than one dealership, since they don't leave batteries in the units on the lot, the salesmen carried those small 12v jumper boxes, designed to give a car a quick jump start. This is what they used to move the slide in and out and "show" the unit without a battery or shore power.
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Old 11-11-2011, 08:31 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by Fire Instructor View Post
So how could/do you camp somewhere without shore power? It would make it awful tough to boondock, if you need shore power just to move the slides.

BTW - When we were looking at TT's (to purchase) a few years ago, it was between Thanksgiving and end of year, so most units in the dealerships outside lots had already been winterized, with slides closed. In more than one dealership, since they don't leave batteries in the units on the lot, the salesmen carried those small 12v jumper boxes, designed to give a car a quick jump start. This is what they used to move the slide in and out and "show" the unit without a battery or shore power.
Fire Guy, I think you missed his point. It is not shore power that has to be connected but the battery. That "jumper box" takes the place of the battery. I am sure it is plugged in between demos, since it has to pull that baby flat opening and closing the slides. The AH rating has to be no more than 5 or 10. (100 - 200 total amps available). At that high a discharge rate compared to AH rating, the true capacity may only be 50% of rated.
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Old 11-11-2011, 09:52 AM   #13
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I move my slide without the battery all the time. No issues.
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Old 11-11-2011, 10:57 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by herk7769 View Post
They say the unit in my camper is rated for 55 amps DC so it should be capable of doing both at the same time, but I don't feel like buying a new one just to find out..
Herk, welcome back!

I've got a stupid question. My WFCO puts out 55 amps and I believe my slide motor is a 30amp. While moving the slideout, if I were also running other items in the trailer (AC, lights, etc) that would draw more current than the WFCO can provide to all of these items, then wouldn't it just pup a fuse or circuit breaker?
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Old 11-11-2011, 11:59 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Triguy View Post
Herk, welcome back!

I've got a stupid question. My WFCO puts out 55 amps and I believe my slide motor is a 30amp. While moving the slide out, if I were also running other items in the trailer (AC, lights, etc) that would draw more current than the WFCO can provide to all of these items, then wouldn't it just pup a fuse or circuit breaker?
Are we talking about with the battery removed? If so, I guess it would depend on how the total load on the DC side is protected (unknown since it would be internal to the WFCO) and there is no circuit diagram provided.

There are two 40 amp reverse current fuses (so that is not the protection); it is on the same 120 VAC circuit breaker (in my camper) as the living room and kitchen GFCI circuits (so that is not the protection); and the 12 VDC fuses are all 15 amp in the box (so that is not the protection) and there are two 30 amp Slide fuses and a 30 amp landing gear fuse hung off the battery buss (at the battery), so THOSE are not the 55 amp protection.

Since 12VDC x 55 amps is 660 watts, we are only talking about 5.5 amps AC at full DC draw. This is well UNDER the 15 amp 120 VAC circuit breaker it is hooked to.

Long and the short of it? I don't know if there IS any overload protection for the 55 amp DC side other than overheating or component failure without a circuit diagram.
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Old 11-11-2011, 12:33 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by herk7769 View Post
Are we talking about with the battery removed? If so, I guess it would depend on how the total load on the DC side is protected (unknown since it would be internal to the WFCO) and there is no circuit diagram provided.

There are two 40 amp reverse current fuses (so that is not the protection); it is on the same 120 VAC circuit breaker (in my camper) as the living room and kitchen GFCI circuits (so that is not the protection); and the 12 VDC fuses are all 15 amp in the box (so that is not the protection) and there are two 30 amp Slide fuses and a 30 amp landing gear fuse hung off the battery buss (at the battery), so THOSE are not the 55 amp protection.

Since 12VDC x 55 amps is 660 watts, we are only talking about 5.5 amps AC at full DC draw. This is well UNDER the 15 amp 120 VAC circuit breaker it is hooked to.

Long and the short of it? I don't know if there IS any overload protection for the 55 amp DC side other than overheating or component failure without a circuit diagram.
This is good. I pulled up the installation manual and the wiring diagram is not clear (at least to me). I attached it in case anyone is interested.

Interestingly, when I read through it, I found a general feature notation that states "...Automatically shuts down power during overload or short-circuit conditions.
Automatically returns to normal operation after conditions are corrected."
It didn't go into details, however.
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Old 11-11-2011, 01:03 PM   #17
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So how could/do you camp somewhere without shore power? It would make it awful tough to boondock, if you need shore power just to move the slides.

BTW - When we were looking at TT's (to purchase) a few years ago, it was between Thanksgiving and end of year, so most units in the dealerships outside lots had already been winterized, with slides closed. In more than one dealership, since they don't leave batteries in the units on the lot, the salesmen carried those small 12v jumper boxes, designed to give a car a quick jump start. This is what they used to move the slide in and out and "show" the unit without a battery or shore power.
We have a 7000 watt generator!

And where I live there isn't any parks that don't have power.
We boondock with friends twice a year in a big private timber and we all have gennies.
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Old 11-11-2011, 01:07 PM   #18
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Interestingly, when I read through it, I found a general feature notation that states "...Automatically shuts down power during overload or short-circuit conditions. Automatically returns to normal operation after conditions are corrected." It didn't go into details, however.
Thanks for adding that. I was looking at the "diagrams" not the text when I added my comments. The manual has "hook up" drawings and not actual circuit board schematics.
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